In this 3+ hours-long session, Carolyn Letvin will demonstrate the process of making and enhancing prints made from fish. 

Originating in Japan during the mid-1800s, this process was used by fishermen to record their catches for accuracy when selling the fish. It subsequently became a popular nature printmaking art form of its own. 

Using acrylic paint, Carolyn will create two fish prints, then show how revising the edges and body texture, creating a life-like eye, and doing direct printing from leaves make the fish image come alive on the paper. At the end of the demo, audience members will have the opportunity to make their own “chop” or stamp, used by Asian artists as signatures to authentic prints like theirs.

Carolyn Letvin blends traditional Flemish Old Master techniques with contemporary innovation, employing an expanded palette and bold paint application. She finds inspiration in the every day, choosing subjects from her surroundings, and sees the act of art-making as a constant journey of surprise and joy, where composition, color, surface, and light quality converge to create compelling images.